


Shall We

by Messis Hythica (she_is_rysn)



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Multi, the poly triangle we deserve, uh oh feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 21:17:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 11,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21125384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_is_rysn/pseuds/Messis%20Hythica
Summary: Adolin finds Shallan and Kaladin on the balcony after they've just had...relations. Fortunately, there's room for everyone to get some affection.*content warnings in chapter summaries, so you can hop out when the water gets too hot.*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firearms57](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firearms57/gifts).
  * Inspired by [You Can Figure It Out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20954504) by [she_is_rysn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_is_rysn/pseuds/she_is_rysn). 

> This story immediately follows "More" - it could use a little more context as-posted, and you can get it there!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> scene-setting, cuddles.

Kaladin’s heart shot into his throat as a voice behind him spoke.

“As Shallan’s trainer, I feel I should also be involved in whatever practice you're referring to.” 

Shallan jumped back at the same time Kaladin spun around, feeling as protective of Shallan as he felt guilty. Hastily he redid his trousers, a simple activity that was excruciating with an audience. Adolin stood there, washed and groomed and calm. And smiling. Kaladin glanced over at Shallan, who was holding her havah closed with her freehand, safe hand limp at her side so the sleeve draped modestly over her fingers.

Adolin crossed his arms, expression morphing into a serious frown. 

“Shallan, I’m really disappointed,” Adolin’s voice was heartbreaking in its sadness. Why was he smiling a second ago? This was weird.

Adolin took a few steps toward Shallan, who threw a panicked look at Kaladin, then back at her betrothed, then back at Kaladin. 

“I--” Shallan stammered.

“You messed up all the buttons at your collar, Shallan! This was one of my favorite havahs on you, too. What a shame.”

Adolin gathered Shallan in his arms, pulling her into a reassuring hug the way you would a child who’d just scraped her knee. It crossed Kaladin’s mind that he should feel angry about that embrace, but instead he just wanted to join it.

“And you,” Adolin looked over at Kaladin, Shallan still enveloped in his arms. She peeked out from Adolin’s chest, her eyes asking questions Kaladin had genuinely hoped she had the answers to already.

“Let me see your jacket, please,” Adolin ordered with easy authority. He gestured with his chin at the spot on the balcony where it had been thrown.

It was a good excuse to retrieve his shirt and put it back on, so Kaladin obeyed, first dressing himself and then presenting the garment to Adolin’s scrutiny. The interaction reminded Kaladin of the times he had to show freshly scrubbed hands to his father before helping out in the treatment room. Something about the serious set of Adolin's jaw made Kaladin want - need - his approval.

Adolin peeled one arm from around Shallan’s back, running his fingers under the placket where several buttons on Kaladin’s jacket were tugged loose. Kaladin watched those fingers, deft and strong. The swift motion of Adolin throwing the jacket over his shoulder startled Kaladin, and made him realize he'd been staring.

“It’s fixable,” Adolin sighed. “I’m ashamed that both of you would treat such handiwork so flippantly, but it’s fixable. Come back home with me, you can take a bath while I mend these.”

Easy as breathing, Adolin reached and arm around Kaladin’s shoulders, pulling the three of them into a single hug. Shallan’s hand found a spot under Kaladin’s shoulder blades, and Kaladin found the top of his head resting in the crook under Adolin’s jawbone. Nestled there, Kaladin stole a glance at Shallan, who returned it with the same delighted intrigue. It wasn’t how he expected this morning to end, but it was a pretty exciting start to the afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first kiss!

Adolin turned to Kaladin, so full of timid expectancy it almost hurt. “I’m...um, I’m really glad you two found each other. I hope--”

Adolin’s lips were so soft when he kissed them, his skin so perfectly smooth and fragrant Kaladin could have cried. Kaladin couldn’t say what made him do it, only that it seemed like the only natural response, and that he did not regret it one bit. Where Shallan’s kisses had been greedy and exploratory, Adolin’s were gentle and welcoming, and it felt like he never stopped smiling even as he accepted Kaladin’s nips and probes. 

Suddenly aware that Shallan was still there and very much watching, Kaladin broke from the kiss to see, storms, Adolin’s blue eyes were devastating. Fingers at the end of his long arms gently traced Kaladin’s shoulder, and Kaladin found himself shyly looking away from that gaze. 

“Yeah?” Shallan looked from Adolin to him, and back again with barely contained excitement. Adolin nodded enthusiastically, and Kaladin just found himself blushing harder, pushing his face into its new favorite curve under Adolin’s chin. 

Shallan laughed, a delighted sound that Kaladin knew and treasured. He felt it where their bodies connected, and it was a specific pleasure knowing Adolin was receiving the same vibrations on the other side.

“Wow,” Shallan wondered, using both arms to pull the three of them closer together as she buried her face in their chests. “Woooooooow,” her voice came out muffled in their bodies, and it made everyone laugh at once.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cute flirting, no makeouts

“Kaladin!” Syl reappeared, looking confused. “Is this? Are you??” She darted in the air between Adolin and Shallan, back and forth as if it was hard to believe they could both exist in the same place at once. 

Kaladin responded with a shrug of the eyebrows and a smile that welled up from somewhere near his navel.

“Humans are a _ maz _ ing,” Syl repeated, meandering off again.

“Um, Shallan,” Adolin poked his nose into the embrace, the way a chicken might nestle in its own feathers. “Before we go, you might want to do a Lightweaving on you two...or something. It wouldn’t take a keen eye to notice you’ve been, uh, busy.”

“Oh! Good idea,” Shallan prepared to cast the Lightweaving, then stopped abruptly, looking sheepishly at Kaladin.

“Would you by any chance…?” Shallan was already tilting her head towards Kaladin, and he responded without thinking, the exchange of Stormlight already so familiar. 

“I feel like something happened there,” Adolin commented, “besides the thing I saw.” He furrowed his brow at Shallan and Kaladin, feigning suspicion.

“It’s... uh, it’s, yeah. It did,” Shallan admitted. She broke away from Adolin and him to fasten the remaining buttons of her havah, not bothering with or not remembering the trussing she’d discarded on the ground. Adolin took the cue to help Kaladin into his jacket, and as he did so, his fingers became partially obscured in the image of a mended, crisper uniform, laid over the original. Shallan’s havah now appeared unharmed, her hair smooth and straight down her back.

“We can explain it on the way back to your place,” Kaladin proposed, offering a gentlemanly arm to Adolin, or Shallan, he would have been happy with either. Adolin accepted the arm, and Shallan hooked her safehand in the crook of his other elbow, giving it a squeeze. When Kaladin looked down, the hand appeared to be in a sleeve, but there was definitely no extra fabric under Shallan’s grip. 

Shallan gave a wink, and though it had only been moments since Kaladin felt sapped of all his energy, he suddenly felt like he could give it another go before too long.

“Shall we?” Shallan asked. 

“We shall,” Kaladin and Adolin responded at once.

And they did.


	4. What He's Having

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bathtime nudity, a kiss or two

Shallan was surprised no shamespren fell when she and Kaladin undressed in Adolin’s room, but it might have been  _ because _ Adolin was also there. He was all too eager to help with their various buttons and stays, whisking the injured garments away to the infirmary of his bed, taking time to admire both of them in ther nakedness with an approving smile or a gasp of delight. Shallan found she liked discovering Kaladin’s body along with someone else, liked being appreciated by an audience of two. Her betrothed’s enthusiam was infectious, making every little motion feel like a special occasion.

Adolin fiddled with the knobs on the bathtub until the temperature was just right, pressed various bars and bottles to his nose until he found a soap whose fragrance satisfied him, tossing it into the steaming water where it hissed and foamed. Adolin hummed as he wandered through his room, practically dancing. He would pass a hand across Shallan’s bare shoulders on his way to search out the sewing kit, place a kiss on Kaladin’s temple as he rested a pair of towels on hooks near the bath. There was such an air of scene-setting to his actions that Kaladin and Shallan seemed to implicitly understand that they were meant to wait until Adolin gave them permission to bathe, so they did wait, covered in goosebumps for a host of reasons. Nobody spoke.

Finally, Adolin turned off the tap, placed his hands on his hips and said, “OK, you two. Get clean while I salvage your poor clothes.”

******

Kaladin smiled sleepily at Shallan. It felt so, so good to soak in the warm water, especially after the long walk back from the balcony and the sleepless night that had preceded it. Kaladin was surprised by how bashful he’d felt undressing, how hesitant he’d been to climb into a bath with the person he’d just been so unprecedentedly intimate with. 

Shallan purred, reclining back to expose the soft skin below her jaw. It reminded Kaladin of the way her head had tilted against the wall of the balcony as they made love in defiance of gravity, the sweet moan that had accompanied the action. Just as Kaladin felt the urge to seize that skin between his teeth, he became aware of Adolin gazing at him from the bed, yards of Shallan’s havah bundled in his lap. 

A grin spread lazily across Adolin’s face as he pulled a stitch tight, never breaking eye contact. It made Kaladin smile to see those deft fingers poised carefully around the tiny needle, where they so often had a much larger weapon to wield. Kaladin glanced at Shallan, whose eyes were still closed. It made the entire exchange with Adolin feel like an extra secret between them, a flourish on top of the tryst they had jointly initiated with Shallan. This was more pleasure than he’d ever, ever felt in his life. Ever allowed himself to feel? Maybe that. 

The sharp rustle of fabric broke the silence as Adolin abruptly stood, crossing to retrieve the two towels waiting on hooks near the bathtub. 

“If I don’t pull you out soon, you’ll be more wrinkled than Kaladin’s uniform,” Adolin’s voice came out whisper-soft, almost like an apology. Kaladin’s heart leapt at the sound of his name. 

Adolin held a towel across his open arms, silently inviting Kaladin inside with a smile. Comfortable as the bath was, there was no arguing with this invitation, so Kaladin pushed himself out of the steaming water and stepped into Adolin’s embrace, meeting the kiss that accompanied it. Storms, Adolin was gorgeous. And strong, and tender, and...in love with him? If the truth of the embrace weren’t so irrefutable, Kaladin would have told you it was impossible. 

“Hey! Me too, please,” Shallan complained, dragging herself to a seat in the fragrant water. “I would also like what he’s having.”

Adolin smiled broadly, pressing his nose against Kaladin’s before going to help his betrothed out of the bath. 


	5. Anatomical Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nearly oral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to up the rating now that we're getting a little more physical. Things are only gonna escalate from here.

Shallan felt water slosh around her shoulders as Kaladin emerged from the bath, sliding his legs out from where their knees had tangled together. Her sleepy eyes opened to the sight of Kaladin bundled in a towel within the arms of her betrothed, practically melted together in a kiss. The kiss gave rise to the same mixture of relief, arousal and jealousy that she’d felt back on the balcony, and Shallan wasn’t quite able to stop herself from interrupting the beautiful moment with demands of her own. 

_ This is going to take some getting used to _, she thought to herself. Or maybe Radiant thought it at her -- it was something Radiant would think. 

Shallan was gratified when, with acceptable swiftness, Adolin disengaged from Kaladin to extend a chivalrous hand towards her, sweeping her from the bath and into his arms as effortlessly as he did everything else. 

“What an absolute treat,” Adolin laughed, swiping the towel across Shallan’s temple to tuck back a wet lock of hair. It was almost absurd to see him in all his clothes next to Kaladin’s and her own sodden, naked forms.

“I really thought it would be so much longer before I’d have the chance to -- storms, Shallan, I—“

Adolin broke off abruptly, taking hold of Shallan’s hands - _ both _hands, storms - as his eyes searched her face for the answer to a question he hadn’t asked. The towel draped over her shoulders like a cloak, leaving her naked from the waist down. 

Graceful as a dancer, Adolin guided Shallan in backward steps until her legs bumped the seat of an improbably large and upholstered armchair. Adolin knelt on the floor at Shallan’s feet, gently guiding her to sit. Remembering to look for Kaladin, Shallan found him perched on the bed, looking fascinated and hungry.

Adolin rested a palm on each of Shallan’s knees, and suddenly she understood what he wanted, and wanted it very much as well.

******

Adolin happened to know that he was a remarkably good kisser (there had been remarks), and he was very excited to apply these skills to the warm, inviting world that revealed itself as Shallan drew her legs open. 

It was… fascinating. Ripples and folds resembled something like a frillbloom just on the verge of opening, damp frizzled curls carpeting the soft surrounding skin. Gazing upon this wonder, Adolin suddenly felt the fear that, like a frillbloom, the slightest disturbance would close that world to him forever. He looked up at Shallan, who peered down at him like a benevolent giant, timid expectancy in her gaze. 

“May I, Shallan?”

His betrothed’s name in his mouth made Adolin desperate to have more of her in there. Wisps of steam escaped off Shallan’s freshly-washed skin, making her look like...well, kind of like a Blade. Adolin found this deeply erotic, though he couldn’t have said why. 

Shallan’s eyes darted to where Kaladin had come to rest on the bed, and when she blushed, the rosy flush crept all the way across her neck and shoulders. 

“You know, I’ve never really looked down there myself, Adolin,” Shallan’s voice came out cool and sardonic, though her face remained just as red. “If you would - purely in the name of research - please investigate and report back with your findings, I’m sure it would be of great benefit to my anatomical education.”

Shallan started to say something else, but stopped abruptly when Adolin began his assigned task.


	6. That Particular Instrument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oral sex (plural)

Adolin was actually pretty proud of his tongue. Like every other part of his body (_ every _other part), he’d trained it, studied it, learned its strengths and limitations. Clear diction was an advantage both on the battlefield and in the taverns, so he’d discreetly taken some elocution classes - even singing lessons - in order to gain mastery of that particular instrument. 

Knowing that his mouth wasn’t the first thing to gain entry to Shallan’s...world that day, Adolin tread gently, enjoying how his soap and her body’s native scent mingled on her skin, tracing her outermost lips with the softest pressure he could manage. Adolin heard a sigh from above, and her world responded in kind, falling ever so slightly open. It was remarkable, Shallan’s world. Adolin ran two fingers down the place where red fur gave way to dark, impossible softness, wanting to consume it but also wanting to _ see _ it. Something glistening and firm peeked through, thrumming with a call to action stronger than the Thrill. Obedient to its command, Adolin closed his eyes and dove in.

*****

Adolin’s gold-black locks obscured the actual events taking place in Shallan’s depths at that moment, but Kaladin was able to enjoy the results of Adolin’s handiwork in Shallan’s arching back, the hums of pleasure that rang out in his own spine. Kaladin began to stroke his now-hard cock, mesmerized by the gentle rocking of Adolin’s head as it explored a place Kaladin had also visited, but very differently. It was only when he heard his own name that he realized Shallan was staring at him. 

“Kaladin,” Shallan repeated, and the command in her tone made his heart leap. Obediently, he went to her. 

******

Shallan found a moment of respite as Adolin looked up to welcome Kaladin with a smile, lips glistening with what Shallan realized was…_ her_. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how he accomplished what she was feeling down there, stimulation and massage and almost-ticklish pressure radiating from his movements, and wondered if she could replicate it on her own one day. She would certainly try. 

Kaladin gasped as Shallan’s tongue met the tip of his erection, and Shallan found herself echoing the groan that followed as Adolin began moving with greater urgency, sending a shudder across her skin. Sensation pricked the ends of her fingers and toes, coursing through her body as she raised her safehand to caress the nearly unmanageable length of Kaladin’s cock. It had been such a brief moment on the balcony between unleashing it from his trousers and pulling it into herself, and Shallan was thrilled now to be able to appreciate Kaladin’s dimensions and, consequently, her own. 

Shallan wet her lips to let them slide over the delicate skin of Kaladin’s member, pulsing darkly with the blood that held it aloft. In response, Kaladin filled his fingers with the hair at the back of Shallan’s neck, bending down to trace circles on her left nipple with the other hand (he seemed to favor that breast, which was fun to notice). Storms, he loved her so much. They...both did. Shallan had never expected something like this to be _ possible _, let alone feel so absolutely right. 

In a moment of synchrony, the warm sweep of Adolin’s tongue and Kaladin’s playful exploration of her areola found rhythmic unison. The stimulation proved to be too much for Shallan to endure at once, a fact which made itself known with a jerky convulsion as Shallan contracted, pulling her arms around Kaladin’s legs and behind, drawing him deeper into her mouth, crushing Adolin’s poor face as her legs wrapped around his neck. The throb of her orgasm felt different than it had with Kaladin on the balcony - less of a deep, dark upheaval and more of a sparkling red detonation of her nerves. If any scrap of self-possession had remained, Shallan would have tried to take a Memory of the feeling. 

Breathing heavy and gazing down at her through a haze of arousal, Kaladin withdrew carefully from Shallan’s lips, as rigid as she felt limp. At the same time, Adolin’s hands - warm, dry, strong - gripped her thighs as he emerged from the tuft between her legs, smiling like a winner of some invaluable prize. 

“Wow,” Adolin panted, tilting his head back onto the hammock of legs wrapped tight around his neck. Shallan could feel his breath still tickling her there, throbbing and tender. 

“Thank you,” Shallan breathed, though it was a fraction of what she meant.

Adolin’s eyes darted just to Shallan’s left, where Kaladin had resumed pleasuring himself. Kaladin held out a hand to help Adolin to his feet, which seemed like a good signal to release her legs from around her betrothed’s neck. She fell back into the overstuffed chair as Adolin rose to meet Kaladin’s embrace.


	7. Blue Glass Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> f-f-f-f-foreplay

Being undressed by Kaladin gave Adolin some context as to how his and Shallan’s clothes had fallen to such a sad state. Adolin was dismayed by the seams and buttons that popped audibly on his coat as Kaladin wrenched them away, but that dismay was silenced by the desire that pounded deafeningly in his veins. 

“You taste incredible, Shallan,” Kaladin murmured, barely finishing her name before diving back into Adolin’s kiss. Kaladin was methodical, thorough with his lips and tongue, and his hands never stopped tugging, sliding, stripping at Adolin’s clothes until he was as naked as the two lovers he apparently had. 

Everything in Kaladin’s movements commanded obedience, and Adolin was completely willing to submit, so it took extra boldness to take Kaladin’s cock in his hand, still sticky with Shallan’s saliva. Kaladin’s groan resonated in Adolin’s teeth, fingers closing tightly around the nape of Adolin’s neck. Kaladin moved them towards the bed, guiding Adolin in backwards steps the way Adolin himself had just maneuvered Shallan to her chair.

This reminded him to glance over at his betrothed, who was still splayed across the armchair. Shallan met his eyes with a look that contained fascination, lust, amusement — but most importantly, permission. Adolin sort of wished he didn’t need Shallan’s blessing before fucking a person she’d already had sex with  _ that day _ , but he did. And he got it. And now he was ready to get something else. 

******

Adolin’s whole hand closed around Kaladin’s member, warm pressure urging and encouraging him. Kaladin realized he was practically kissing the inside of Adolin’s mouth, so eager was he to probe and penetrate the Kholin prince, so unsure of how to initiate the next step. To Kaladin’s great relief, Adolin hopped backwards onto the bed, giving full view to a frankly beautiful cock. 

“Bridgeboy,” Adolin spoke, leaning back on both elbows with a smile that barely masked the anticipation in his eyes. Storms, he was exquisite. 

Understanding the invitation, Kaladin moved to climb onto the bed and Adolin, when a sleepy voice piped up from across the room.

“I can’t see,” Shallan whined, arms flopped behind her head like a doll. The curves of her lounging body tugged Kaladin’s longing in a second direction, and he reached for Adolin’s leg as a reminder of what waited behind him. 

“Can you go around that side so I can watch better?” Shallan gestured, innocently as if she were requesting refreshment. The question was punctuated with a naughty smile as her freehand wandered lazily down between her legs.  
  


“Please?”

******

Shallan shared a thrilled glance with Adolin as he angled his body across the bed for her benefit, and the full length of his muscled nakedness was breathtakingly beautiful. She took a Memory as Adolin inclined his head to welcome Kaladin, who lunged across the bed with such speed that she wondered if he was burning Stormlight. Shallan realized with some amusement that Adolin was lying right on top of the clothes he’d spent much of the morning fussing over, and decided not to point it out.

She had never seen Adolin so fully under anyone’s power before - not even her. Her betrothed crooned and sighed under Kaladin’s body, offering his pulse points to Kaladin’s lips like a willing sacrifice. A touch more compact than his lover, Kaladin straddled Adolin’s body just above the hips, and Shallan could see how the space between their chests shrank and grew as they breathed together. She wondered idly whether Kaladin would ever blow into Adolin’s mouth, too.

“Shallan,” Adolin panted as Kaladin forged a neat pathway of kisses down his throat. “There’s a...over there,” he gestured limply to a tray covered in toiletries. “It’s an oil, in a blue glass bottle. Can you…?”

Though she was loathe to abandon her throne, Shallan complied, locating a slender bottle discreetly labeled only with a tiny glyph for “pleasure.” To satisfy her curiosity, Shallan uncorked the bottle and daubed a little on her finger, which slid frictionless against her thumb as she carried the parcel to her betrothed. 

“What do we do with it, Adolin?” Shallan teased, hoping it masked her confusion over what he  _ did  _ want to do with it. 

In response, Adolin reached down to run his fingers along Kaladin’s cock, which was pressed impatiently against his abdomen. At the touch, Kaladin paused his explorations to look up at Adolin, then Shallan, then back at Adolin. 

“Are you sure?” Kaladin murmured to Adolin, gently pushing back a lock of golden hair. Adolin responded with a vigorous nod of the head as his hand shot out, palm up towards Shallan. To the rare, gorgeous sound of Kaladin’s laughter, she tipped some oil into Adolin’s awaiting hand, then retreated quickly back to her perch. While Shallan definitely wanted to watch what came next, she didn’t think she wanted to be  _ this  _ close up. There were parts of this intimacy that could wait to unfold. 


	8. Something From Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intercourse! [Kaladin/Adolin]

Kaladin Stormblessed was laughing. Storms, nothing ever sounded so beautiful. Unreasonably proud of himself for eliciting that reaction, Adolin reached up to steal a kiss as his hand relocated the stiff length of Kaladin’s member, stroking it to slickness. Used to only his own, more conventionally-sized cock, this was considerably more to handle, literally. Kaladin’s penis gave a little bounce in Adolin’s hand, which was so unbearably adorable he couldn’t contain his smile. Bridgeboy was smolderingly, sexily serious, all the time, and all Adolin wanted was to hear that laugh again. 

Kaladin broke from the kiss and fixed a disbelieving stare on Adolin, which Adolin could sort of understand. Never had he imagined - or even fantasized - that he would one day share his bed with Kaladin Stormblessed  _ and  _ have the taste of his betrothed on his tongue. This was something from stories. It was also, apparently, their afternoon. 

Adolin smiled persuasively, almost aggressively, as if to challenge Kaladin not to smile back. His lover blushed in response, averting his gaze to reveal two crescents of black lashes as hair tumbled across his brands. A wire-width scar ran perpendicular over his collarbone, and Adolin immediately needed to kiss him there.

As his lips explored the space between Kaladin’s neck and shoulder, Adolin found the points of Kaladin’s hips, gently guiding him down into position. He slipped his legs out from underneath, rocking his pelvis towards that thrilling erection. Under Adolin’s tailbone, something throbbed in anticipation.

“Brightlord,” Kaladin breathed, without a hint of irony. Adolin’s heart hammered in his chest as rough fingers caressed him, from tip to shaft, to below that, and below that…

And then Kaladin’s touch was replaced by the slow, slow pressure of his cock as it glided into Adolin’s own world. Amid the riot of sensation that followed, he was very glad to have invested in that oil. 

******

Shallan had trouble deciding what to watch as Kaladin guided himself into Adolin for a first, careful thrust. The maneuver itself was just visible from this angle, thanks both to Kaladin’s fantastically long penis and the way Adolin had hooked his legs hospitably around the other man’s hips. Adolin gave a sharp intake of breath as Kaladin penetrated him, which reminded Shallan of how she had eased the pain earlier that morning. Without Stormlight to burn, how must that feel for Adolin? Maybe the oil was helping. Shallan watched them find a rhythm together, patient and gentle, nothing like the frantic scrabble that took place between her and Kaladin on the balcony. As Shallan observed, she found herself with a host of other questions - for example, could she do it that way too? And would it make her feel the way Adolin evidently felt? She couldn’t wait to talk about it with him, what it was like having a little Stormblessed inside. 

Just then, Shallan realized she was absentmindedly turning that slender blue bottle in her hands. As her betrothed and her lover moved and moaned on the bed, she helped herself to a few fingertips full, to see if she could mimic Adolin’s agile tongue. 

Storms, Kaladin had a perfect ass. 

******

Adolin practically sang as Kaladin worked inside him, rattling Kaladin’s skeleton like a bell with the vibrations of his moans and encouragements. Adolin held him everywhere,  _ everywhere, _ tender in a way that belied the true strength of his upsettingly perfect body. Kaladin never felt so protected in his whole life.

Making love with Shallan had been ravenous and impatient, and it was exciting to ride that energy, a privilege to be the thing that could slake her wild thirst for a moment. On the other hand, sex with Shallan’s betrothed felt like nothing Kaladin could compare it to. Adolin was smooth around him, and whatever he’d put on Kaladin’s cock made his movements effortless, coaxing in a way that made something light up at the base of his skull. 

Adolin could obviously be much more physically assertive in this encounter, but he wasn’t. In the moments leading up to this one, Kaladin felt Adolin’s desire so clearly  _ and  _ his struggle against the impulses to take what he wanted. The other man was goading with his kisses, explicit with his body language, but otherwise waited for Kaladin to initiate. Well, he  _ had  _ grabbed Kaladin’s cock that time, but otherwise…

Suddenly, Kaladin understood that he was supposed to be in charge. Was he OK with that?

He could find out. 


	9. I Love You, Bridgeboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inter-MORE-se! [Kaladin/Adolin]
> 
> Shallan also entertains herself.

“Adolin.”

Adolin opened his eyes as Kaladin paused, fully and maddeningly inside him. 

“Yes?” Adolin picked up his head to coax kisses from that beautifully-set mouth, lifting his hips just slightly to achieve a new, ecstatic pressure. 

“If it’s too much—“ Kaladin gasped, harried by the onslaught. 

“Yes,” Adolin murmured through his lover’s lips.

“Tell me,” Kaladin commanded, pulling back with a stern look. “Tell me if it’s too much, OK?” 

Adolin fell back onto the bed as the grind of Kaladin’s pelvis turned his spine into water.

“Yes,” Adolin promised, though he doubted ‘too much’ was even a real amount. 

“Brightlord,” Kaladin murmured again, and Adolin twisted his ankles tighter around the other man’s waist. His bones shook with the force of Kaladin moving in him, and his own cock throbbed as it ground between their bodies.

“I love you, Bridgeboy,” Adolin crooned, running his hands across the muscle and bone of Kaladin’s back. 

“I love you, Bridgeboy,” a voice echoed, and Adolin turned to see Shallan with her safehand fingers curled inside herself, legs splayed haphazardly across the chair, back arching with a little gasp. Her eyes met Adolin’s with a conspiratorial smile. 

“I love you, Brightlord,” Shallan moaned, slender fingers gliding in and out of her world in a way that made Adolin realize how very little he had gotten to explore so far. 

Adolin started as Kaladin pumped hard into him, again, again, an indeterminate number of times, until his mouth couldn’t form a single word if his life depended on it. Did Kaladin want his attention back from Shallan? Was bridgeboy maybe just a little...jealous? How storming adorable. This was heaven, heaven, heaven.

Adolin reached up to retrieve more kisses from Kaladin’s mouth, but the other man dodged, surprising Adolin by gently pulling out and sitting back on his heels, his erection poised like an upswung blade. Adolin would have had that cock for every single meal. 

With eyes so intense they were almost sorrowful, Kaladin pulled Adolin up to sitting and into his embrace, caressing his face, his hair, his neck. Reverent kisses seemed to want to impart something to Adolin’s lips, and Adolin realized there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for Kaladin Stormblessed. He stole another glance at Shallan, whose arms were once again flung over her head, eyes sleepily closed. He hadn’t heard her come, but maybe he’d just been...busy at the time. Storms, she was so beautiful.

Kaladin’s hands slid down to grip Adolin’s hips, thumbs brushing ticklishly across his skin. 

“I love you, Brightlord,” Kaladin murmured, and Adolin felt him smile where their lips touched. 

“Now, turn over.”


	10. I Love You, Brightlord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inter-MOST-se [Kaladin/Adolin/Shallan]

Kaladin had never seen anyone so delighted by an order in his whole life. Adolin actually licked his lips, stealing one more kiss before he was spun face first onto what Kaladin only just realized was Shallan’s havah. Whoops. 

Storms, how Kaladin loved those two little bones, protruding hospitably from Adolin’s hips as if they were made just for his hands to hold. Movement caught Kaladin’s eye as he pulled Adolin’s flawless behind towards himself, and he turned to see Shallan coming around the bed, leaning across its expanse to come face-to-face with Adolin.

“Hi,” Shallan smiled at her betrothed, who responded in kind. Kaladin found himself annoyed that Shallan chose this moment to take his focus, kicking himself for ever pulling out in the first place. Storms, he was desperate to be inside Adolin again.

Gently, Kaladin pressed his tip into the soft skin of Adolin’s depths, using both hands to stroke the length of his thighs. Adolin pushed back against the pressure, and Kaladin could see the reflection of his pleasure in Shallan’s expression, feel that sweetly melodic hum as Adolin settled down around his length. As Kaladin began to move in Adolin once more - storms, this was a whole other experience - Shallan climbed on the bed to lie face-up beside her two lovers, stunning in her nakedness. Adolin groped in her direction with one hand, sliding blindly over her chest and shoulders until she caught his hand in hers. Locking eyes with Kaladin, Shallan slid Adolin’s fingers in and out of her mouth, matching the rhythm of his own movements within her betrothed. The memory of Shallan’s lips around him brought a shudder to his spine, and Adolin called out low and delighted as Kaladin drove harder into his welcoming depths. 

Releasing Adolin’s hand, Shallan reached under Adolin for something Kaladin couldn’t see, though from the shudder that passed across the other man’s body, he had a pretty good guess. A familiar feeling overcame Kaladin as he was squeezed urgently from within, skin sizzling under Shallan’s greedy gaze as her freehand moved up, down, up, down under Adolin’s flawless torso. He heard Adolin gasp her name. 

“I love you, Brightlord,” Shallan murmured to her betrothed, tracing idle patterns across his ribs with her safehand as her freehand did its work. A rippling pulse ran the length of Kaladin’s cock as Adolin exclaimed wordlessly, contracting tightly around him. Kaladin called back, electricity sparking behind his eyes as his fingers kneaded around those perfect hip bones, sensation mounting beyond comprehension. 

“I lo-“ Kaladin started, and while no other words came, he very much did. 


	11. Thoroughly and Successfully Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> post-coital snuggles

Adolin knew his orgasms. Like every other part of his body ( _ every  _ other part), he’d studied his cock, learned its strengths and limitations, and even trained it. He taught himself how to breathe into pleasure in order to last longer, learned how his particular body responded to stimuli. Adolin supposed it was a little vain of him, but it was his habit to be prepared. It just so happened that training for this particular spousal duty felt really, really good. 

However, Adolin had only foreseen the eventuality of making love to a woman, and while he was never  _ upset  _ to fantasize about men, he had never tried stimulating himself in the way Kaladin had just so thoroughly and successfully done. Which meant that he wasn’t prepared for this kind of orgasm, and like all surprises, Adolin both embraced the unexpected and cursed his own oversight. 

All of this is to say that Adolin had never come so hard in his entire life, which both scared him a little and excited him a lot. 

A shudder passed across Adolin’s spine as Kaladin gently withdrew, bending down to press his lips between Adolin’s shoulder blades. Shallan’s warm fingers unclasped from Adolin’s cock, and he opened his eyes to her sapphire gaze, mussed curls scattered across the covers. On Adolin’s other side, Kaladin fell onto the bed face up. The two of them lying there looked positively, well,  _ radiant.  _ This was an amount of affection he was also unprepared to feel, and it roiled his aching insides with joy.

******

“Storming shit,” Adolin laughed, a sweet smile of disbelief spreading across his face. He dropped face-down onto the bed, then propped himself up on both elbows, hair mussed in a way Kaladin found impossibly hot. 

“That...was amazing,” Kaladin said. An obvious understatement, but he couldn’t really come up with anything else. Kaladin felt the gentle brush of Shallan’s fingers across his temple, and it was fun watching Adolin observe the gesture. 

“Yeah,” Adolin sighed, smiling at Shallan, then back at Kaladin. Behind the smile, a surprising fervor glowed in Adolin’s eyes, almost like Stormlight. For a moment, they settled in quietly beside each other, rubbing legs together, overlapping arms and brushing hands. Kaladin felt heavy and relaxed, as if there was nothing urgent to be done anywhere. It was wonderful.

“I’m really disappointed,” Shallan broke the silence, mock seriousness in her voice. Kaladin knew she couldn’t help piercing every moment of quiet intimacy with a joke, which was both tiresome and endearing. He silently wondered whether she could be comfortable in these silences one day, and if there was any way he could help with that.

“What? Why? Storms, Shallan, what did I do?” Concern crossed Adolin’s brow. He’d fallen for it. 

“You had sex all over my havah!” Shallan cried indignantly, and a smile curled at the corners of her lips, giving away the act.

“It was one of your favorite havahs on her, too,” Kaladin chimed in, shaking his head in disappointment.

Adolin gaped at both of them, then down to where the soft blue fabric peeked from under his body. 

“What a shame,” Adolin tutted, flinging an arm around his betrothed as she snuggled into him. “You’ll just have to stay here naked forever, Shallan. I can sew, but I don’t do laundry.”

“I love you, Brightlord,” Shallan murmured, eyes closing once more. 

“I love you, Brightness,” Adolin replied.

Kaladin scooted closer to Adolin and Shallan, curling his limbs tight around them both.

“I love you, Bridgeboy,” came their muffled sigh in unison.

“I love you, too,” Kaladin spoke into Adolin’s collarbone.

They slept until the evening.


	12. Turn Over, Brightlord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naked snuggles, some frisky flirting

Kaladin

“I’m hungry.” 

Kaladin awoke with a start, naked in a dark room with someone’s sweaty body stuck to him. In the darkness, he felt Adolin’s hand reach out, searching for a handhold. Kaladin’s heart rate slowed under the soothing pressure of Adolin’s warm palm and fingers as they came to rest around the point of his hip, and it gave him a thrilled shiver to consider that Adolin might feel a similar affection for that ticklish part of himself. The room was quiet and still, fragrant with the lingering humidity of the morning’s activities. Kaladin wondered if this was what it was like to be in a womb.

“Hey,” Adolin whispered groggily, rocking and shifting from his side to his back as Shallan groaned in response to being jostled. As Kaladin’s eyes adjusted, he caught the movement of her arm flopping onto the bed.

“Storms, I haven’t eaten since...oh.” Shallan paused abruptly. “I’m hungry,” she grumbled again. 

“Why is it so dark in here?” Kaladin scolded Adolin, searching out the curve behind the other man’s ear with his lips. “Down to dun spheres, Brightlord?”

Kaladin could feel Adolin’s smile in response to the question.

“I left all my money on a balcony last night, Bridgeboy,” Adolin explained, turning his face to brush his nose against Kaladin’s ear. His warm breath sent a shiver down Kaladin’s neck. “Any chance you’ve seen it?” 

“I certainly hope so,” Shallan grunted, crawling awkwardly across both Kaladin and Adolin and flopping perpendicular across their torsos. Her armpit cupped itself around Kaladin’s shoulder, and it was a weird, ticklish feeling as her breasts smushed into his ribcage, those dainty and adorable nipples radiating with a touch of extra pressure. 

“Because one of you is going to buy me a chout -- hey!” Shallan’s exclamation came just after a slap echoed in the room, and just before Adolin shook with laughter.

“I’m sorry, Shallan, I just… your butt is amazing, and it was  _ right there _ …”

“Ow!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry! Really!” Though the plea of apology entered his voice, the laughter didn’t leave it.

“Did you just slap her ass?” Kaladin whispered into the nook of Adolin’s neck and felt a short nod in response.

“Turn over, Brightlord,” Shallan ordered, scrambling off their bodies and towards heavy canvas drapes that obscured their view outside. Though they had clearly been fashioned from old tents, Adolin's skill had transformed them into something elegant and permanent-looking. Dim twilight cast a cool light across the room, barely silhouetting Shallan, and Kaladin couldn’t help turning his head to get a look at her freshly-slapped bottom. It really was very nice. 

“What?” Adolin laughed nervously. Anticipation rose in Kaladin before he could figure out why. 

“Turn  _ over _ ,” Shallan repeated, waiting sternly for Adolin to comply, which he did, still laughing in apprehension.

“Kaladin my love,” Shallan addressed him so sweetly, and as  _ her love.  _ It was thrilling. 

“Yes, Shallan? My love?” Kaladin rose to sit, tugged on by that voice. It was hard to make out Shallan in the dimness but he could practically see sparks jumping between them. Unconsciously, he reached down to stroke the length of Adolin's back, eliciting a little moan. 

“Kaladin, my love," Shallan said again. "Would you please spank my betrothed? As hard as you can?”

Adolin’s head shot up from the bed to protest, but Kaladin was both faster and perfectly happy to comply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I've been wanting to share some more but it's been harder to write than I expected lately. Posting this teeny transition chapter in the hopes that it'll help get the juices flowing, pun absolutely intended.
> 
> It's so nice to see your works populating the library the past few weeks. Hope all are well and safe <3


	13. Certain Liberties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heavy petting, late-game intercourse.

Adolin

Adolin’s eyes flew open as Kaladin’s hand cracked into his backside. He took it quietly on principal, but there was no way Shallan had experienced even a fraction of what Kaladin had just delivered. 

“Kaladin!” Shallan gasped. Adolin heard her rushing back to the bed as he gingerly turned to meet her. 

“What?” Kaladin laughed back. “My instructions were very clear, Brightness. Are you ok though?” Kaladin’s voice grew suddenly serious and low as he turned to examine Adolin. Even in the near darkness, Adolin could feel the heat of bridgeboy’s scrutiny, an unnerving mix of tender concern and cold diagnosis.

"I'm fine," Adolin murmured back, smiling reassuringly. "But don't tell her that."

“Your poor, beautiful, perfect ass,” Shallan cooed as she sidled up to Adolin on the bed, using her safehand to draw lazily across his chest. “Of all people, Kaladin, I would have expected you to disobey an unjust order,” she scolded.

“Oh, this is not at all my fault, my _ love _,” Kaladin sniped back, turning his glare on Shallan. Storms, it was delightful being bickered over like this. 

“Well I couldn’t have hit anyone that hard even if I_ tried _,” Shallan pouted.

Hoping to ease the tension, Adolin wound an arm around the waists of the two Radiants lying beside him. They responded in kind, settling against his shoulder or into the crook of his neck, according to their preference. Adolin felt his pulse quicken as his blood began redirecting itself without being told.

“And anyway,” A smile entered Shallan’s voice as she melted into Adolin’s embrace, “none of this would have happened if a certain Kholin had not taken certain liberties with a certain young woman’s rear end.”

“You know," Adolin remarked, "I would like to take more liberties with that rear end right now, please.”

Using the leverage of the arm curled around Shallan’s waist, Adolin hoisted his betrothed on top of him, instantly breathless with the pressure of her body against his. Shallan let out a little yelp of surprise, actually so did Kaladin. Bridgeboy obligingly shifted to release Adolin’s arm from under his torso, which he used to immediately search out Kaladin’s cock. Hardening in his hand, it seemed to be on the same trajectory as Adolin’s own.

“Oh wow. Ok then!” Kaladin chuckled breathlessly as Shallan’s mouth found Adolin’s, kissing him impatiently. Her body grinded and slid, settling astride his navel, which was as far as Shallan’s hips could reach while their mouths were still connected. 

“Kaladin,” Shallan murmured into Adolin’s mouth, tongue and teeth begrudgingly forming the word even as her lips kept at their work.

“I’m here,” Kaladin moaned, and he grew stiffer in Adolin’s grasp.

“Can you stick him to the bed?” Shallan’s hips were rocking against his bare skin. Scratchy curls and warm, moist softness announced themselves to his nerves and it was infuriating that they were such a seemingly impossible distance from his cock. Adolin had never wanted anything so badly as to be inside this woman. A small voice in his head wondered how true that was, given that the best orgasm of his life had occurred mere hours ago, but he ignored it. 

Kaladin reached a hand under Adolin’s back, passing it across his shoulders, then down his spine to his hips. The blanket instantly felt glued to him, shifting uncomfortably. 

“Storms,” Kaladin grumbled under his breath. “Oh wait, oh…” Kaladin’s words melted to a moan as Adolin stroked the full length of his erection. The sound triggered a similar response in his betrothed, who had begun exploring Adolin’s ear with the tip of her tongue. Tingles skated across the length of Adolin's body, and he reflexively wiggled his toes.

“I got it... there,” Kaladin announced. With a moment of firm pressure against his shoulder, Adolin suddenly felt himself grow impossibly heavy. 

“He’s not stuck, but he can’t move,” Kaladin craned his neck to whisper in both his lovers’ ears. 

“Is that OK with you, Brightlord?”

Anticipation rang through Adolin’s brain as he tried moving any part of himself. It was no use -- even the hand caressing Kaladin had fallen heavily to the bed. Shallan took the cue to slide down, kissing his crown with the firm throb of her world. Adolin felt exposed, aroused and very impatient. 

“Is that OK with you, Adolin?” Shallan asked this time, paused in excruciating closeness. Her fingers were wrapped preemptively around the length of him, making tentative circles on the tender skin. 

“YES,” Adolin cried. “Yes, storms, please!”

“Oh good,” Shallan sighed, plunging down around him with a cry of delight. It was hard to tell in the dark room, but Adolin could have sworn he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going fast and loose, kids! I'm just gonna throw stuff up as it's finished because everybody needs something to read and we can all use the endorphins these days. xoxo Messi


	14. Unreachable Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> intercourse the whole time

Shallan

Shallan did not expect to be making the sounds that were coming out of her at this moment. Sliding down onto Adolin’s erection (which seemed not at all encumbered by Kaladin’s Lashing), she anticipated a lit-up feeling in her otherwise unreachable depths, the way it felt to have the tip of Kaladin’s...spear... touching that place. But it didn’t feel quite like that.

Not quite as long as their lover (storms, who could be), Adolin made his presence felt immediately, nudging and pressing against her in a way that made Shallan _ squeeze _around him in an internal embrace. Shallan stirred her hips around that pressure, exploring the ways Adolin’s presence inside her could feel, which were all good. She heard herself moan and cry out, felt her teeth clamped around her own lower lip, but Shallan couldn’t have controlled her next utterance any more than the timing of the next highstorm. Storms, she wished she could _see_ him right now.

Shallan sensed movement beside her as a hand ran up her side and over her left breast, following already familiar paths around and across her nipple. Kaladin’s warmth was instantly behind her, his stone-hard erection nudging the small of her back. Adolin gasped somewhere in the darkness, and she arched her back into the body behind her, using the leverage to lift herself briefly off of that exquisite cock. 

“Shallan,” Adolin panted in the darkness, “I--” 

Shallan drove herself down once again, and Kaladin’s other hand found her other breast, groping and caressing her as she sought to deliver the gorgeous penis inside her to that secret, unreachable depth. She ground and churned against Adolin’s pelvis, spurred on by the moans coming from both before and behind her. She felt ravenous, outside of her own control. Adolin was calling, moaning, pleading. Saying something. Saying a name? 

“Kala-bridgeb--Kaladin,” He panted. “Let me up. I need my hands right now.”

“You have to say please,” Kaladin murmured into Shallan’s collarbone as he rolled her nipples between his fingertips, resulting in a wild twinge of arousal.

“Please, oh storms, please,” Adolin’s voice took on the sweet plaintive tone that Shallan remembered hearing earlier in the day. It was thrilling to see this side of her betrothed.

“He said please,” Shallan tilted her head back onto Kaladin’s shoulder, offering her breasts to Kaladin’s teasing touch. 

“He did,” Kaladin allowed, moving his hands down her ribcage, down her hips, and finally onto Adolin’s. 

In a flash Adolin was sitting up with his arms around them both. He must have been clutching hard to Kaladin, because Shallan felt practically crushed between their bodies, Kaladin’s cock digging uncomfortably into her back.

“I think you two might be more than I can handle,” Adolin teased, taking advantage of Shallan’s reclining head to nibble where her pulse throbbed at her throat. Releasing his grip around Kaladin, Shallan’s betrothed ran his hands along her spine until they were full of her behind. 

“Oh, I happen to know you can handle quite a bit, Brightlord,” Kaladin replied, planting a lingering kiss against Shallan’s temple before moving away. 

“Only one way to find out, I suppose,” Shallan reasoned, wrapping herself around Adolin as tightly as she could manage. He was finally close enough to make out the glitter of his eyes and smile. A cool sheen of sweat coated his chest and arms, and his heart thundered almost audibly. 

When they kissed, Adolin used his handholds to pull Shallan onto and against him, as close as if every single piece of them was melted together. Adolin steered Shallan’s hips, and she was pleased to let him take charge as she busied her hands across his skin and through his hair. Shallan never felt so safe in her whole life.

“Shallan,” Adolin murmured, making it sound like a prayer. Firmly and gently he angled her hips towards him, as if correcting her form. 

Shallan might have taken offense at this, but she wasn’t really able to, for Adolin had finally arrived at her unreachable depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fast and loose, my friends!


	15. Stimulating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> intercourse, post-coital feels and banter

A jolt of sensation raced across Adolin’s nerves as Shallan cried out, tossing her head back as her nails nearly punctured his shoulders. Adolin was glad he’d taught himself those breathing exercises, as they were the only thing allowing him to prolong this experience by any degree. He’d guessed that making love to Shallan would be enjoyable, but it wasn’t really reasonable to hope that his only sexual partner (he’d have to revisit that concept, obviously) would also turn out to be a mind-blowing fuck. 

And yet, here they were. 

Shallan’s behind filled Adolin’s hands as they rocked and maneuvered in a breathless duet. Relentless and wet, Shallan rolled against his body like rain pummeling the earth, and it was all he could do to accept and absorb that energy like a parched garden. Equal parts thrilling and overwhelming, Adolin was almost afraid to breathe.

“Brightlord,” Shallan gasped, stilling her movement to a small, repetitive rock of her hips that felt like someone stirring up molten gold in his groin. He felt the vibration of her voice through his lips, pressed fervently into her neck. 

“Brightness,” Adolin spoke into her flesh. He pulled his arms around her, and she responded in kind, clinging together in near desperation as the sudden throb of Shallan’s orgasm coaxed him to meet her in surges of release. Amid the onslaught of stimulation, Adolin felt on the verge of tears. 

Adolin  _ was _ on the verge of tears.

Adolin was crying. 

He was crying, and it felt storming wonderful. Like a pebble the weight of a chasmfiend had been lifted off his heart.

Wordlessly, Shallan’s safehand cradled his head to her breast. In the darkness of her embrace and the closeness of her heartbeat, Adolin wondered if this was what it felt like to be in a womb.

“I love you,” Shallan whispered. Adolin could only sob silently in response. 

“I could hardly see any of that,” Kaladin complained from somewhere, doing a pretty spot-on impression of Shallan. 

The sound of Kaladin’s voice elicited a self-conscious giggle in him and in Shallan, who leaned down to place a gentle kiss in the leaking corner of Adolin’s eye. She brushed away some of the tears on his cheek with the tips of her fingers. 

“Oh, poor Kaladin,” Shallan playacted with faux concern, placing another confidential kiss between Adolin's eyes. “Whatever did he do to pass the time?” 

Adolin tried to match the repartee, but all he could manage was a soggy-sounding laugh in response.

“Oh please,” Kaladin scoffed as his footfalls approached the bed once more. “I managed just fine. Made friends with this blue bottle here.”

Kaladin’s weight sank onto the bed as Shallan unwound herself from around Adolin’s torso. A different hand stroked the length of his arm, warm and comforting in a different way.

“Little guy doesn’t talk much,” Kaladin continued, “but I found him quite...stimulating.”

Adolin and Shallan groaned at the same time.

“But did you get it, though?” Kaladin prodded. “ _ Stimulating? _ Because I used it to--”

“We got it! We got it,” Shallan interrupted. “It was just terrible. You definitely have to buy the chouta now, it’s the only acceptable punishment.”

Food. Outside. The reminder of these two things gave Adolin a task, for which he was very grateful.

“To my closet,” Adolin announced abruptly, using the rustle of sheets to obscure his sniffling. In the bottom drawer of his nightstand he produced a few charged broams, carrying them to where his clothes hung neatly on hooks. Kaladin and Shallan remained on the bed, confused and blinking in the bright light.

Adolin pulled out a violet coat, making a show of evaluating it. “Both of your clothes are still ruined,” he reasoned, “and we can’t very well make a chouta run in the buff. Which means both of you have the supreme privilege of getting to wear my clothes this evening.”

Shallan’s face lit up at the suggestion, but Kaladin frowned skeptically. Both reactions were acceptable.

“Now come here,” Adolin ordered, “So I can dress you up and take you out.”


	16. The Tipsy Cousin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also up under she_is_rysn as "A Captain and Two Very Drunk Lighteyes" - no need to read them both unless you want to, in which case, follow your heart.

Shallan | Kaladin | Adolin

Shallan waved to Laia as she entered the Tipsy Cousin, flanked by Adolin and Kaladin. Three stools magically cleared up at the center of the polished bar, almost as if, well, as if a highprince and two Radiants had walked into the establishment. 

Shallan gave an excited squeeze of Kaladin’s arm, draped in luxurious violet silk from Adolin’s closet. For Shallan, Adolin had tied and fastened an oversized sky-blue tunic into a kind of wrap, finishing the ensemble with a pair of clay-colored trousers in an out-of-style short cut that still grazed the floor on Shallan. She felt a little ridiculous dressed so unconventionally, but it was also novel to be swathed in fabric like this, unrestrained by the undergarments she’d conveniently left behind. Shallan enjoyed the way Adolin made his clothes appear soft-edged and feminine on her frame, even pinning her safehand modestly within a too-long sleeve. He really did have a talent. 

As Adolin stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with the tavern’s proprietress, Shallan felt Kaladin hesitate beside her, eyes darting distrustfully around the room. 

“There’s probably assassins here, and you’re probably  _ not _ their target,” Shallan rolled her eyes as she dragged him to their seats. 

“Why would you say that?” Kaladin acted confused, but couldn’t help glancing at the door one last time.

“Because you’re thinking it and I’m right,” she replied matter-of-factly. 

“Besides,” she continued, “no one will recognize you out of uniform AND you’re with the best fighter and the cleverest Radiant in town. We’ll protect you.” she hopped onto the middle stool, exchanging another smile with Laia. Adolin’s hand found the small of her back as he continued his chatter. This made Shallan want to purr, but she managed not to actually do so. 

“Now, I’m going to buy you a drink and you’re going to drink it,” she announced to Kaladin. “After you kiss me on the mouth.”

Shallan felt herself blush at the final demand - they had refrained from displays of affection so far this evening, but the horrible orange wine cocktails at Ganchita’s had loosened her inhibitions just enough. It had been nigh on hours. She wanted kisses now. 

“What are we talking about?” Adolin’s voice appeared close in her ear, and Shallan felt his breath graze across her cheek, barely making out Laia’s soft chuckle as she turned to another patron. Kaladin was looking startled and flustered, which made Shallan even more eager. 

“I heard something about kisses,” Adolin said. “And I want in.”

******

The bartender fixed a knowing glance on Kaladin, which didn’t make him feel any more at ease. 

Adolin’s clothes were too soft, too thin and too snug on him, hugging in places he could appreciate on Adolin but not himself. He felt too...pretty. Kaladin had caught a few people checking him out as they made their way through little Herdaz, which was mortifying for all parties involved, once they realized who they were ogling. Not to mention, this kind of attention was _ risky _ . Shallan and Adolin were incapable of understanding that Kaladin still felt his safety was conferred by his title, that without a uniform he was just another darkeyed man dressing above his station. Not that it would end well for them, but any tenner with an attitude could cause more trouble than Kaladin was interested in. 

Of course, it wasn’t really that way anymore. Kaladin had a glowing weapon and eyes to prove he was worth treating like a human being. But even that didn’t make him feel much better. 

His compatriots were staring at him, faces smushed side-by-side with matching idiot grins as Adolin craned his neck over Shallan’s shoulder. 

“I -  _ we _ \- haven’t kissed you in  _ hours _ , Kaladin,” Shallan sulked, both of them making stupid pouty faces. 

“It’s been excruciating,” Adolin sighed dramatically as the bartender filled their glasses, causing Shallan to blush perceptibly. “Do you even understand how fantastic you look tonight? I’ll never be able to wear that outfit again after seeing you in it.”

“I don’t think he does understand,” Shallan shook her head in mock regret, turning to claim the glass of auburn before her. “It shouldn’t be possible to look so gorgeous, even in Adolin’s clothes.”

“It  _ is _ hard to believe,” Adolin took the cue to sit on Shallan’s other side. “Nobody should be allowed to fill trousers like—“

“Okay! Okay, that’s enough,” Kaladin took his seat beside Shallan. This bit was getting old. “Compliment received. Thank you.”

“Sorry,” Shallan placed her freehand on Kaladin’s leg, giving it a small squeeze. 

“And you don’t have to kiss me, of course. But if you wanted to, I do too.”

“Me too,” Adolin called from behind her. “Now please, I would like to make a heartfelt speech while we all hold our glasses in the air. Laia!” He called to the bartender, a stunningly beautiful woman with black curls and gold eyes who couldn’t have been much older than Kaladin himself. 

“Do you want to cheers with us? I’m doing a toast.” Adolin described this event like the party of the year.

“Cheers with us, Laia!” Shallan shouted, blushing hard again. Storms, did she have a crush?

“I can’t spare the hour,” Laia laughed, a gentle sound that reminded Kaladin of boiling water.

“But, to all your health,” she indulged, holding up a mug of tea in their direction. Laia met Kaladin’s eyes for an extra second before turning to take an order. Though he couldn’t have said why this time was different, the look she gave him was strangely comforting.

“All right now, this is a celebration,” Adolin announced, holding his auburn wine aloft. He waited dramatically for Shallan and Kaladin to follow suit, and Kaladin noticed with discomfort that they were gathering a small, tipsy audience.

“Today I discovered a joy that I didn’t even know was possible. I felt more myself, more alive, more excited and more... _ more _ , than I have in a long time. It was better than the Thrill. It was even better than falling in love with you, Shallan, because we get to fall in love together now.”

Silence fell across the Tipsy Cousin, and Adolin looked bashfully around at the dozens of eyes trained on him. Always a showman, this one. 

And then he looked at Kaladin. Even in Adolin’s airy silks, Kaladin began to feel uncomfortably warm.

“My life belonged to you long before this moment, captain. You saved me once, and I can never repay you for that. But, starting today, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”

Shallan turned back to look at him, but Kaladin couldn’t manage to meet her gaze. His eyes were locked on Adolin’s, frozen in panic. He hadn’t felt so looked-at since demanding the king’s boon, and this moment filled him with just as much uncertainty and dread.

Adolin looked questioningly back at Kaladin, and his satisfied smile melted into regret as he read the expression there. 

“To Kaladin Stormblessed!” Adolin cried abruptly, shooting Kaladin an apologetic look as he drank.

“To Kaladin Stormblessed!” the room called back, throwing back their glasses as swiftly as they resumed their conversations. 

Kaladin felt like he was going to pass out. 

******

“Oh storms, bridgeboy, I’m so sorry,” Adolin rushed to Kaladin’s side, so frustrated with himself he almost kicked over his own barstool. What a stupid thing to do! Kaladin had turned to the bar, slumping over his glass in an unsuccessful effort to appear smaller and Adolin felt the inappropriate impulse to embrace him from behind, burying his face in that untameable mess of hair. 

Instead, he laid a gentle hand between Kaladin’s shoulder blades, just as Shallan silently reached for Adolin’s own elbow. 

“I’m sorry, Kaladin,” Adolin murmured again. 

In one decisive movement, Kaladin sat upright and swiveled to look at his two companions, regaining his composure with startling speed. He tucked back a lock of hair with one hand, cradling his wine in the other. 

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Kaladin admitted, pursing his lips. 

“Oh storms, Kaladin, I never meant to--” 

Adolin’s apology was interrupted by the warm pressure of Kaladin’s lips as he delivered a very intentional, very enjoyable kiss. Adolin really wasn’t sure what he was about to say anyway, and he definitely couldn’t remember now.

“The rest of your life?” Kaladin murmured, scarcely breaking from the kiss. 

The what? Oh right, he’d said that. 

“The rest of my life, bridgeboy,” Adolin replied, lightly bumping his head against Kaladin’s. Shallan’s fingers dug excitedly into his elbow. 

“Then I guess I’ll be protecting you for a long time, brightlord.” The sincerity of that promise burned in Adolin’s heart as their eyes locked once more. Beside them, Shallan sighed audibly, causing a tiny, bashful smile to cross Kaladin’s face. 

“I love love,” Shallan swooned, a nearly empty wine glass dangling precariously between her thumb and finger. When did she have time to drink all that? Laia’s gloved safehand plucked the glass from his betrothed’s fingers, placing the vessel back on the bar after topping it off. The Tipsy Cousin was a wonderful place to spend an evening, but it was easy to overdo it under Laia’s attentive service. 

Kaladin smiled again - storms, there was nothing better - as he leaned towards Shallan for a kiss of her own. A sense of utter disbelief struck Adolin as he watched them, not for the first time that day. This was real. This was happening. And they were all this happy about it. 

“To us,” Shallan smiled conspiratorially, retrieving her newly filled vessel. 

“To us,” Kaladin and Adolin responded in unison as they tapped their glasses together.

They did this several more times over the course of the evening. 


	17. Hey Bridgeboy

“I want chouta,” Shallan announced, sitting upright and searching the bar as if she could manifest snacks just by looking hard enough. When that didn’t work, she knocked her cheek into Kaladin’s shoulder, gazing plaintively up at him. 

“Kaladin, will you buy me chouta?”

Adolin giggled as Kaladin glanced down at her with mock disdain. 

“I already bought you chouta,” he scolded gently, in a way that reminded Adolin of his own mother. A small twinge of sadness appeared, unexpected but not unwelcome.

“That was hours ago, Kaladin!” Shallan wailed, appealing to the ceiling. “I need snacks in the present, not the past! Adolin,” Shallan redirected her wobbly gaze at him. “Tell Kaladin the previous chouta is not relevant in this discussion.”

“The previous chouta is not relevant in this discussion,” Adolin repeated to Kaladin with a barely-straight face, burying his smile in a swallow of wine. 

There was no warning or possible way to prepare Adolin for the look Kaladin gave him then. It was every single wonderful thing: fondness, attraction, amusement, understanding, hunger, delight. It made him feel both otherworldly strong and like he was melting in his core. 

“If you say so, princeling,” Kaladin murmured before leaning down to kiss Shallan’s forehead. Adolin felt the words reverberate in his chest, though there was no physical way for that to be the case. 

“Also, you have to carry me,” Shallan wagged a finger up at Kaladin as if haggling. “That’s my final offer. And not a chip more!”

******

Adolin burst out laughing at Shallan’s weird performance, a silly blushing guffaw. The two of them had been drinking at a significantly faster pace than Kaladin, thanks mostly to the tavern’s open-handed proprietress. At some point, Kaladin was properly introduced to Laia Telin, a half-Herdazian lighteyes who emanated mystery like a Radiant gave off Stormlight. She was on friendly terms with both Adolin and Shallan, though they seemed to each know her from slightly different contexts, and it was absolutely precious to watch Shallan redden every time Laia paid her the slightest attention. Kaladin wondered whether that type of attraction was a fact about Shallan that he knew already, though he supposed he hadn’t really known certain facts about himself until that very day. 

One of those particular, very handsome facts was paying off a much smaller tab than they should have had and tipping a much larger amount than that. Kaladin watched Adolin agonize over the math for a moment, then give up and throw down ruby broam for safety. Between him and the redhead dangling off his neck, these two were going to be a handful. 

“Come back soon,” Laia waved, giving Kaladin another of those curious smiles that looked like flirting but felt like something different. Kaladin occupied himself with hefting Shallan into his arms, letting Adolin say all of their goodbyes. 

Kaladin inhaled deeply as they stepped out into the brisk evening, the smell of dust, bodies and cooking food mixing with the closeness of Shallan’s perfume. Before Kaladin could take another step, Adolin’s face was pressed next to his, arms curling around his chest from behind. His wine-soaked breath came heavy and warm, and the drunk heat of his body radiated across Kaladin’s back.

“Hey bridgeboy,” Adolin slurred mildly, pausing to plant a kiss just above his collarbone, “let’s go get chouta.”

“CHOUTA!!!” Shallan cried, voice echoing down the road as she flailed limply in Kaladin’s arms. 

They were ridiculous. They were wonderful. And they loved him so much. 

So he took them to get chouta. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to firearms57 for the prompt! I was hesitating to get started on this and that was just enough of a nudge. The rating on this will *probably* change as chapters are added. This was fun!


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